Improvements To Garments For Use In Water And Method Of Manufacture Of The Same

ABSTRACT

A garment for use by a person when in a body of water, such as a sea, river or lake. The garment is of the type known as a wetsuit or drysuit which, when worn, provides protection and warmth for at least the torso, arms and legs of a wearer. A method of forming the garment having seams which allow an effective seal to be achieved between adjacent panels of the garment and, as a result, an effective garment to be formed.

The current invention relates to the provision of a garment for use by a person when in a body of water such as the sea, river or a lake. The garment is typically, although not necessarily exclusively, of a type known as a wetsuit or drysuit which, when worn, provides protection and warmth for, typically, at least the torso, arms and legs of the wearer.

The provision of wetsuits and drysuits is well-known and they typically respectively utilise water and/or air within the suit to provide an insulating effect so as to provide a required level of warmth to the wearer of the suit and thereby negate the cooling effect of the water on the wearer's body. In addition, the garment can provide a protective “skin” so as to reduce the risk of cuts and grazes and the like to the wearer when in the body of water.

The garments are typically formed of a series of panels which are shaped and placed together so as to be joined along their respective edges to form the garment of the required size and shape. When one considers that the garment is provided to be worn when in the body of water, and hence provide a barrier between the body of water and the person wearing the garment, or alternatively to allow water to enter the garment in a controlled manner, it will be appreciated that the joining and sealing of the said edges of the respective panels, is a critical factor in the successful use of the garment, and the life of the garment.

It is known to provide an adhesive which is positioned along the abutting edges of the panels so that the panels are glued together to form a join between the panels. However, when one considers that the panels are formed of a core or base of a foamed material, such as neoprene, and typically with lining material layers on opposing surfaces of the core or base, it will be appreciated that the panels do not particularly lend themselves to the provision of a good seal being created.

As such, it is known that problems exist in the manufacture of garments and that relatively frequently, the problems in forming and using the garments, are caused by failure of the joins between the respective panels. In certain methods, the garment is constructed using the cut neoprene panels and gluing them together and, with the additional step, prior to gluing, of removing the edge of one side of all the panels is removed.

An aim of the present invention is to provide a garment which is formed of a series of panels and which is provided for use in a body of water and which has improved seals at the joins between the panels and which allows improved reliability and effectiveness of the garment. A further aim of the invention is to provide a method of manufacture of said garment which provides improved characteristics.

In a first aspect of the invention there is provided a garment for use in a body of water when worn by a person, said garment formed of a series of panels which are positioned adjacent to each other with their respective edges joined together so as to form the garment of a particular shape and size and wherein a portion of said panels depending inwardly from at least part of the said edge of at least one of the panels has a reduced thickness with respect to the thickness of the remainder of the said panel.

Typically, the said portions are formed along the length of the peripheral edge of the panel.

Typically the thickness of the panel is the distance from the face of the panel which forms part of the external surface of the garment and the opposing face of the panel which forms part of the internal surface of the garment which is at or adjacent to the skin of the wearer of the garment.

Typically the said portions are formed on the edges of each of the panels such that when the respective panels are placed together the said portions on the respective panels are located “in line” to form, in combination, a channel along the length of the peripheral edges and the join interface between the panels lies along the channel. Typically the channel is formed on the external surface of the panels.

In one embodiment, the channel which is formed receives therein a sealing material which overlies the join interface between the abutting edges of the said panels. Typically the sealing material which is provided into the channel is sufficient to fill the channel so that the top face of the sealing material is substantially flush with the external surface of the garment.

Typically, the sealing material is applied in a liquid state along the channel and then hardens.

In one embodiment, the said panels are formed of a multilayer construction. In one embodiment the layers comprise a base or core layer and on at least one, but typically the opposing, surfaces of the same, there is provided a lining material layer. Typically, the base or core layer and lining material layers, are bonded together prior to the formation of the panels therefrom.

In one embodiment, the material which is removed to form the reduced thickness portion is removed to a sufficient depth so as to remove at least the lining material layer.

In one embodiment, the removal of material is to a depth to remove the said lining material layer and a part of the base or core layer. Typically the said portion extends inwardly from an edge of the panel and downwardly from a surface, such as the external surface of the panel.

In a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of manufacture of a panel for use in a garment to be worn in a body of water, said method comprising the steps of forming a series of panels to the required shapes, and wherein along at least part of the peripheral edge of at least some of the said panels, material is removed to a depth so as to form a reduced thickness portion depending inwardly from the edge of said panels.

In one embodiment, the said portion is removed after the panel is formed to the required shape from a multi-layered structure including a core or base layer and at least one lining material layer. In one embodiment the quantity of the multilayer panel which is removed is sufficient so as to remove part of at least the lining material layer on one of the surfaces of the base layer.

In one embodiment, the method comprises the step of providing a lining material layer on both opposing surfaces of the core or base layer.

In a further embodiment the method includes the steps of aligning and abutting the adjacent edges of the panels which are to be joined together and the said portions on the respective panels form a channel.

In one embodiment the join interface between the abutting panels is located in and along the said channel.

In one embodiment the longitudinal axes of the join interface and the channel are substantially parallel and in one embodiment in line.

In one embodiment an adhesive material is provided at the join interface so as to adhere the panel edges together.

In one embodiment a sealing material is located along the channel and in one embodiment the sealing material, when hardened, has an external surface which is substantially flush with the external surfaces of the adjacent panels and typically masks the interface join from the external surface of the garment.

In a further aspect of the invention there is provided a series of panels for use when joined together to form a garment, said panels formed of a particular shape from a multi-layered sheet material structure and said panels positioned adjacent to each other with their respective edges joined together so as to form an interface join between said panels and wherein at and depending inwardly from the said edges the panels have a thickness which is less than the thickness of the body of the panel so that when the edges are joined together a channel is formed along which the said interface join is located and said channel receives therealong a sealing material.

Specific embodiments of the invention are now described with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGS. 1a and b illustrate a drysuit formed in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a sheet material structure from which panels can be formed in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 shows two cut panels that have had a portion of material removed therefrom inwardly from an edge.

FIG. 4 shows the panels of FIG. 3 after the panels have been glued together to form a join interface and with a channel.

FIG. 5 shows the join interface and channel of FIG. 4 with the channel filled with a sealing material and

FIG. 6 illustrates the arrangement of FIG. 5 in a plan view of the external surface of part of the garment in which there is provided a join interface and channel in accordance with the invention.

Referring firstly to FIGS. 1a and b there is illustrated a garment which in this embodiment a drysuit 2 in accordance with one embodiment of the invention which is formed from a series of panels 4. The panels have peripheral edges which are placed adjacent to each other in abutment and joined together along respective join interfaces to form seams 6 some of which are indicated in FIGS. 1a and b and which are sealed as will now be described with reference to part of one such seam.

FIG. 2 illustrates a sheet of material from which one or more panels 4 can be formed and in this embodiment the material includes a core or base layer 8, typically of neoprene material and on a first surface 10 of the same there is applied a lining material layer 12 and on the opposing second surface 14 there is a provided a further lining material layer 16, with the layers bonded together using suitable bonding techniques. The base or core layer thickness can be of any suitable size but is typically 2-12 mm and for example, has a thickness of 5 mm neoprene. The lining material layers 12, 16 are typically thinner and are provided to protect the core or base layer 8 as they form the external and internal surfaces 32, 34 respectively of the garment.

FIGS. 3, 4, 5 are a cross section along line A-A in FIG. 1 a, of a seam 6 in accordance with the invention and illustrate the method steps for the formation of the same in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.

In FIG. 3 there is illustrated adjacent panels 4, 4′ and each of which have a body 5, 5′ and portions 17,18 from which the lining material layer 12 and part of the core or base layer 8 is removed as indicated by hatching and which, in one embodiment can be achieved using a skiving machine or other suitable apparatus. The amount removed can, in one example be approximately 4 mm inwardly from the edge 24,26 of the panels 4,4′ and downwardly from the external surface 32 to a depth of, for example 1 mm so as to reduce the thickness dimension 36 of the panels at this location to be less than the thickness dimension 38 of the panel body. By removing material from these portions 17, 18 so the panels 4, 4′ are in the condition shown in FIG. 3 then, when the panels 4, 4′ are positioned so as to abut each other to form the join interface 22 as shown in FIG. 4, a channel 20 is formed and in and along this channel the join interface 22 between the panel edges 24, 26 is located and the longitudinal axes of the channel 20 and join interface 22 are substantially parallel and in line.

To form the seal at the join interface 22, an adhesive 28 is applied to the respective edges 24,26 of the panels 4, 4′ as shown in FIG. 3 and these edges are applied together as indicated by arrows 40, 42 to form the join interface 22 shown in FIG. 4. A sealing material 30 which, in one embodiment can be the sealant sold under the Registered Trade Mark Aquaseal, is applied into and along the channel 20 so as fill the same as indicated in FIGS. 5 and 6 so that the interface join 22 is hidden and masked from the external surface 32 of the garment by the sealing material in the channel 20 and when the sealing material hardens the top surface of the sealing material forms part 32′ of the external surface 32 of the garment and the seam 6 between the panels 4, 4′ is completed. This method can then be repeated for some or all of the other seams of the garment.

By providing the seams 6 in accordance with the invention and by using the method as herein described it is found that an effective seal between adjacent panels is achieved and, as a result, an effective garment is formed which has effective seals between the panels and has an extended life as a result. 

1. A garment for use in a body of water when worn by a person, said garment comprising: a series of panels positioned adjacent to each other with each respective edges joined together so as to form the garment of a particular shape and size; and wherein a portion of said panels depending inwardly from at least part of the said edge of at least one of the series of panels has a reduced thickness with respect to a thickness of a remainder of the said panel.
 2. The garment according to claim 1, wherein the said portions of the panels are formed along thea length of the edge of the said panel.
 3. The garment according to claim 1, wherein said portions of the panels are formed at the edges of respective panels which are to be joined together.
 4. The garment according to claim 3, wherein the said portions on the respective panels are located “in line” to form, in combination, a channel along a length of a join interface between said panels.
 5. The garment according to claim 4, wherein the channel receives therein a sealing material which overlies the join interface between abutting edges of the panels.
 6. The garment according to claim 5, wherein the sealing material is applied in a liquid state along the channel and then the sealing material hardens.
 7. The garment according to claim 1, wherein the said panels are formed of a multilayer construction.
 8. The garment according to claim 7, wherein the layers comprise a base or core layer, and on at least one surface of the same there is provided a lining material layer.
 9. The garment according to claim 8, wherein the lining material layer is applied to a first surface of the base or core layer and the lining material layer is applied to a second surface of the base or core layer which opposes the said first surface.
 10. The garment according to claim 8, wherein the base or core layer and lining material layers are bonded together prior to formation of panels therefrom.
 11. The garment according to claim 1, wherein a quantity of material removed from an external surface of the panel to form the said portion to a required depth is to remove at least one lining material layer from a base or core layer.
 12. The garment according to claim 11, wherein at least part of the base or core is removed to form the portion to the required depth.
 13. A method of manufacture of a panel for use in a garment to be worn in a body of water, said method comprising the steps of: forming a series of panels to the required shapes, and wherein along at least part of a peripheral edge of at least some of said panels, a portion of the panel is removed to a depth so as to form a reduced thickness portion depending inwardly from an edge of said panel.
 14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the method includes the steps of forming the panel as a multilayer structure comprising a core layer and applying at least one lining material layer to at least one surface of the core layer.
 15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the method includes the step of providing a lining material layer on both opposing surfaces of a base or the core layer.
 16. The method according to claim 13, wherein the portion of the multilayer panel which is removed is sufficient to remove a the lining material layer on one of the surfaces of a core layer.
 17. The method according to claims 13, wherein the method includes the steps of aligning and abutting adjacent edges of the panels which are to be joined together and the said portions on the respective panels form a channel.
 18. The method according to claim 17, wherein a join interface between the abutting panels is located in and along the said channel.
 19. The method according to claim 18, wherein a longitudinal axes of the join interface and the channel are substantially parallel.
 20. The method according to claim13, wherein an adhesive material is provided at a join interface so as to adhere the panels together.
 21. The method according to claims 13, wherein a sealing material is located along the channel.
 22. The method according to claim 21, wherein the sealing material, when hardened, has an external surface which is substantially flush with the external surfaces of the adjacent panels.
 23. The method according to claim 22, wherein the sealing material masks the interface join from the an external surface of the garment.
 24. A series of panels for use when joined together to form a garment, said panels comprising: formed of a particular shape from a multi-layered sheet material structure and said panels positioned adjacent to each other with their respective edges joined together so as to form an interface join between said panels; and wherein at and depending inwardly from the said edges, the panels have a thickness less than a thickness of a body of the panel so that when the edges are joined together a channel is formed along which the said interface join is located and said channel receives therealong a sealing material. 